Krishna Leela staged in NY

A dance drama on Krishna leela was presented by the East-West School of Dance in traditional Kathak style, bringing Vrindavan to the Blue Sky Center auditorium of Ananda Ashram, a yoga retreat and spiritual educational center In Monroe, New York, Sept. 3.

Over 25 trained dancers and children of East-West dance school families got together for the two-hour event that also coincided with the Krishna Janmashtami festival period. The program, directed by dancer-choreographer Pt. S.N. Charka, a disciple of Pt. Shambhu Maharaj, was attended by close to 200 people, according to Charka.

The production came alive with colorful scenes from the life of Krishna: from his mischievous childhood through miraculous early years to the culmination in Maha Raas, his cosmic dance with the gopis. The cast and crew included Rinil Routh, a former East-West Dance school student who made her foray into Bollywood with writer-director-producer Vivek Kumar’s upcoming film ‘Rhythm.’ Routh played the role of Radha in the dance drama while Kavita Mohini Tajeshwar, a senior dancer, played Krishna.